Silent Guardian
by Yugioh13
Summary: Reiko Hara has been a loyal customer to the Host Club and enjoys spending time with the members, especially the gentle giant of the club. She wants to tell how she feels about him, but her embarrassment of being rejected and the way her classmates treat her, hold her back from telling the truth. Will she get the chance before she loses everything? Mori/OC (two-shot)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! This is the first Ouran story that I've ever written and I hope it sounds good! I wrote this about 3-4 years ago and I've finally typed and edited it all. I tried really hard to get the characters to sound like themselves, but I apologize in case if they sound OCC. This is a two shot story since I decided to cut this very long oneshot in half.**

 **Please let me know what you think! I love to hear from my readers. Also, I do reply to them if you leave a review or something! Also if you want to just send a quick message to me, I always respond. I really hope you enjoy this story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High school Host Club. I only own Reiko and a few other characters who aren't part of the story line.**

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"Welcome."

That special greeting that every girl received as they walked through the doors of the abandoned music room. Most of them took as a friendly greeting or they would swoon over the voices that spoke it. For me, it was the nicest compliment that anyone ever said to me.

I smiled in return at the young students who were all dressed alike and were most popular people at Ouran Academy; the Host Club. They provide the service of entertaining young girls here at the school. Majority of them were frequent visitors and came at least twice a week; but as for me, I was their number one customer.

I came here very often to enjoy the company of people who actually appreciated me. I felt very welcome here and I could be myself without worrying if I was a burden on them. Also I looked forward to coming here every day.

"Hello Princess Reiko!" Tamaki called from the other side of the room.

I smiled at him and waved. "Hi Tamaki-sempai!"

He was sitting with a couple of girls who were drinking some tea. They didn't look to happy to see me talking to their favorite host member. I just ignored them like every day.

I was that shy bookworm who didn't really have that much luck in making friends. In fact, I never really had any friends growing up. Always the loner and always the freak; but not to the Host Club. They actually accepted me for who I was and I was stunned and thankful for that.

"Ah, Miss Hara. How are you today?"

I turned around to the deep voice that belonged to the mysterious dark haired man, Kyoya. "I'm doing well, Kyoya-sempai. How are you?"

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'm doing fine as well. Are you here for your usual meeting?"

I nodded to him. "Yes I am."

He gave me a small smile as he wrote something on the clipboard in his hands. "Ah, we have your usual table all set up for you in the back. Your hosts will be with you shortly."

I smiled back. "Thank you, Kyoya-sempai."

He nodded as he looked down at his clipboard again. "Have a nice day, Miss Hara."

Ah Kyoya, always so proper with his greetings. He never really called me by my first name, but I didn't mind. I liked it when he called me by that name; it made me feel like a proper adult.

As I made my way towards my table I looked back over at Tamaki's area again. He was busy sweet talking to the girls, acting like their knight in shining armor. I always liked that part of him when I spent my visit with him. He always made me feel special and every girl always dreamed of meeting that chivalrous man who would make their fairytale come true. Even it was pretend, I always had fun playing along with him.

"Hey Reiko!" the double voices spoke simultaneously from my left.

Glancing over my shoulder I saw the Hitchiin brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru, smirking from behind a couch. I smirked back them.

Oh, how those twins loved to be mischievous and clever. Whenever I would sit with them they would put on their little 'brotherly act' for me and then they would pull some kind of prank on someone; most of the time they would prank Tamaki. Yesterday they sent him a fake wedding invitation to him saying that Haruhi was going to marry both of the twins next May. Tamaki spent the whole day chasing Haruhi around the club, begging her to tell him it wasn't true. Even though it wasn't true and she kept telling him that, he still sat in that lonely dark corner of his, crying mournfully.

I walked over to the couch where they were sitting. "Hey boys, what's up?"

"Nothing much, you know." Hikaru started.

"The usual business." Kaoru finished.

I glanced back over at Tamaki. "What's the prank for today?"

Both of their smirks widened.

"Our designer made a wedding dress for Haruhi." Kaoru said.

Hikaru chuckled. "It's supposed to be delivered this afternoon. Boy, the boss isn't going to be happy about this."

I shook my head, laughing at the both of them.

I wasn't much of a prankster myself, but when I was here with those two, I was always the twins' extra helper in creating mischief.

"I'll make sure to stick around for the performance, I can't wait to see it unfold."

Both twins winked at me as they pulled those old green checkered hats and put them on their heads. "See you later, Reiko." Then they turned around to their awaiting customers. "Ladies, it's time to play 'The Which One is Hikaru Game'!"

The girls squealed with joy as they began trying to guess which twin was which. Whatever it was that made that game fun, I'll never know.

Finally I arrived at my destination at the back of the room. A long plush red couch, a big red chair that looked like it was fit for a king, and a small table that had a small rack that held several little pastries. My stomach began to rumble and my mouth began to water as I stared at the sweets in front of me. Oh, how I loved the little cakes, but I didn't want to start eating them before my hosts arrived; that would be rude. Curse my sweet tooth.

I set my stack of books on the floor next to the couch as I sat down on the right side of it.

"Hey Reiko." A voice greeted, breaking me away from my tasty thoughts.

I turned around in my seat to see Haruhi standing behind me. "Oh, hi Haruhi. How are you doing today?"

She gave me a small smile. "Doing pretty good actually. How about yourself?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Same old, same old." I replied as I sat down at one end of the couch and patted the cushion next to me. "You can sit here if you want to for a minute."

She glanced over her shoulder and then took a seat on the couch. "I guess I've got a couple minutes to talk before my customers get here."

A few weeks ago, I found out Haruhi's biggest secret; that she was really a girl instead of a boy. I went into the girl's locker room after gym class when everyone went home and found Haruhi in there. At first I almost yelled at her for trying to peek in on the other girls, but then she explained to me her true identity and her whole situation with the Host Club. I believed her and we've been friends ever since. Of course Host members found out about me and they accepted the fact that I knew the big secret; they all ended up befriending me because of her.

"How many customers are you up to now?" I asked.

She exhaled. "So far this week I've had fifteen customers. I'm probably up to fifty customers now, but I've got a long way to go. I probably won't hit that thousand until I graduate."

I patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Oh I'm sure you'll figure something out, Haruhi."

She smiled back. "Thanks Reiko."

She was pretty much the only girl I ever got along with. The only one who never judged me or called me a freak. And I couldn't be any happier with that.

Adjusting myself in my seat, I perched my chin on my wrist. "So what's the latest with old Tamaki? I heard something about a wedding coming up."

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "No, like I told Sempai about a hundred times yesterday, 'I'm not engaged, I'm not getting married, and the invitation is a fake'. Why doesn't he get the picture?"

"Oh, he'll get over it, don't worry."

Growling under her breath, she glanced over at the twins, who were laughing away as they continued to play their favorite game. "Why do they always do this kind of stuff to me? Can't they go pick on someone else? I'm getting really tired of their jokes." Then she sighed. "I hope nothing happens today; I want to just have one day where those two don't pull another prank on me."

I held back a laugh because I didn't want to seem like I wanted her to get pranked. As much as I wanted to tell her about the twins' next plan of action, I didn't really want to spoil the boys' fun. It was sort of entertaining to watch their plans go through, even if it involved seeing poor Haruhi deal with the consequences that followed. I still sympathized with her when she needed it.

Someone cleared their throat, alerting the both of us. Kyoya stood behind the couch and pushed up his glasses again. "Haruhi, it seems that your customers are waiting for you. You don't want us to add anymore customers to your bill, now would you?"

She grumbled as she stood up from the couch. "I'm coming, you don't need to threaten me with more customers." Then she looked down at me. "See ya later, Reiko. We'll talk later." She said with a smile. "Have fun."

I smiled back. "Okay see you later, Haruhi."

As I watched Kyoya and Haruhi walk away I caught the eyes of one of the other female customers. She was glaring that all too familiar hold into my head. I just turned away from her.

"Humph! Why is she always talking to them like they're her life long friends? She's not supposed to have friends." A girl whispered.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see a group of girls huddled together at a table. Oh I should have guessed who that was. Umeko and her nasty followers, Toki and Aiko; the three girls who hated me more than anyone else in the school.

"Yeah, shouldn't she be in the library, reading in that lonely corner of hers? She obviously doesn't belong here." Aiko sneered.

Umeko smirked over at me. "She shouldn't even be here at this school. She only go in here because of her family and they don't even want her." She leaned in closer to the group. "My father told me that the Hara's had her by accident and they almost gave her up for adoption. She's the burden of the whole Hara fortune." She gossiped.

I blinked away the tears that threatened to roll down my cheeks. My heart ached from inside my chest and my stomach dropped. Oh how I hated to hear the girls gossip about my life. They don't know me. They just know what my parents think because their own parents tell them the same things. 'Stay away from the Hara girl. She'll ruin your reputation' or 'Shun the girl who was a mistake.' Those were the usual comments I heard at social gatherings; I'm glad I stopped going to those.

One thing that I really hated was being bullied by everyone. From the time I was born till now, everyone has hated me. I was that weird little girl who had unusual violet colored eyes and acted different than the normal person would. People would look at me and automatically develop a dislike for me. Nobody ever wanted to talk to me or even wanted to be my friend. Nobody liked me, not even my own parents. After dealing with it for several years I just stopped caring and was fine with being alone; I didn't mind.

I would usually hide away in the library or a quiet place with a book. Reading usually got me through a lot; also I found it fun and relaxing. I was known as 'The Violet Bookworm' by my grandma; she was the only person who really cared about me when I was younger. I really loved that nickname growing up.

'I wish someone would call me that again.' I thought to myself and then sighed. 'But that probably won't happen ever again.'

"Rei-chan!" a high voice squealed.

Out of nowhere something slightly heavy jumped into my lap. "Oof!" I groaned out as I blew out all of the oxygen in my system.

Then I looked down into my lap to meet a pair of big adorable eyes. Even though my stomach hurt from the pounce, I still managed to smile at the cute perpetrator. "Hey Hunny, didn't I tell you before that it hurts me when you jump on me?"

He giggled. "Yeah I know. I just couldn't help it! I like it when you visit, Rei-chan!"

'Aw, how can I say anything to that face.' I cooed to myself.

I smiled at him as I gave him a hug. "Aw I like it when I get to see you too, Hunny."

As he pulled away he gasped out loud. "Takashi! Look who's here!"

My eyes widened as I looked up into the eyes of Takashi Morinozuka. "Oh…h-hi Mori-Sempai." I stuttered, feeling my cheeks warm up.

He stared at me with that emotionless expression. "Hey." He murmured as he took a seat in the big chair, staring right at me.

I tried to avoid eye contact from him as I looked down at Hunny. "So how are you doing today Hunny?"

He gave me a big toothy grin. "I'm great, Rei-chan!" Then he held up his cute little stuffed pink rabbit. "Usa-chan was very excited to come and visit you!"

I smiled at his little best friend. "Well I'm excited to see you too, Usa-chan."

"What's that Usa-chan?" Hunny asked him as he leaned down to listen to him. His face lit up. "He says that he wants us to eat some cake!"

I giggled at his adorable child-like act. "Well then, let's have cake."

Just before Hunny could reach for a piece Mori leaned forward to stop him. "Stop Mitsukuni, I think ladies should choose first."

My eyes widened. 'Mori actually cared about being a gentleman for me. Wow, this is interesting.'

Hunny stopped himself and then sat back down next to me. "You're right, Takashi. Rei-chan should pick first."

I looked at the both of them. "A-are you sure?"

They both nodded in response.

"Oh okay." I spoke as I reached for a little piece of cake with vanilla icing and a strawberry on top. Before I could grab it, Mori grabbed onto the plate and handed it to me. My cheeks grew warmer. "Oh, thank you Mori-Sempai."

He grunted in response. It wasn't a lot of words, but I didn't mind.

Sitting back down in my seat, I looked over at Hunny. "You can pick yours now, Hunny."

He giggled. "Okay!" he shouted as he reached for a piece. Then he looked to his guardian. "Your turn, Takashi!"

He glanced around at the cake tray and then took a piece of chocolate cake with a strawberry on top.

I felt Hunny tug my sleeve. "Hey Rei-chan! Look! We both match!"

I looked down at his piece of cake and sure enough we had the same kind of cake. "You're right Hunny; we're like twins."

As I began eating my cake I pushed the strawberry off to the side. Hunny looked over at me and then stared at the strawberry. "Do you not like strawberries, Rei-chan?"

I looked down at him. "Oh no, Hunny. I love strawberries. I just save them for last; they're really good."

He smiled at me. "Then you should have mine then!" he said as he picked up his strawberry with his fork and tried to give it to me.

"No Hunny, that's okay. You can have yours back; I know you love strawberries as much as I do."

Hunny giggled. "Okay Rei-chan!" Then he plopped the berry into his mouth with a big smile.

When I was about to continue eating my cake, I came face to face with a fork with a strawberry on the end.

"Here, you can have mine."

I looked up into Mori's dark eyes. "Uh…are you sure?"

He nodded, giving me a small smile.

That smile made my heart race faster than ever. "T-thank you."

He scraped it off onto my plate and went back to his own cake.

'Say something to him!' my inner voice yelled at me.

'What should I say? I'm not good at talking to him!' I mentally shouted back.

'Talk about his Kendo stuff!'

I cleared my throat, trying to prepare myself to talk to the giant of the Host Club. "Uh…so Mori-Sempai…how's K-Kendo going for you?"

His eyes flickered to mine for a moment. "It's good."

"Oh."

'Great! You managed to get two words out of him and you still stutter through your sentences!' my inner voice scolded.

I mentally sighed. 'I'm trying!'

This was pretty common for me to fight with my inner voice. The voice was always there, trying to help me overcome my shyness and to help me make my life better. Of course I tried to listen and go through whatever she said; however, I always failed at doing it. Now the voice discovered my latest problem; I have a crush on Mori.

It's been like this for the past two months and it's been very difficult for me. I've never felt this way towards anyone. The way Mori makes me feel, it tends to overwhelm me. Even though he is a man of little words, when he does speak, it makes me feel like he treats my responses like something precious.

I suddenly realize that both Hunny and Mori are staring intensively at me. I blush and stutter, "I'm s-sorry, did you say something? I-I didn't hear you."

Hunny smiles sweetly before repeating himself, "Usa-chan and I were asking if you read any good books lately?"

I smiled at him. "Yeah, I've been reading a book called The Graceling. It's really good."

"Wow! What's it about?"

As I proceeded to tell Hunny the storyline, my gaze drifted towards Mori, who sat there silently watching me. That gaze of his, it always made me feel like he was staring right into me, into my soul. That dark piercing gaze could keep me in a trance for hours.

I mentally sighed. 'I could stare into those eyes forever. If only I had the courage and strength to.'

When I was finished explaining the synopsis Hunny looked at me expectantly. "So Rei-chan, are you going to tell us a story today?"

Whenever I would sit with Hunny and Mori, Hunny would ask me to tell me a story; most of the time he would ask me to tell them about my childhood. Some of them would be really happy stories and they would make him smile.

But some of them I left out the depressing details, I didn't want to upset anyone. The last thing I wanted to do is make anyone sad, especially Hunny. He was like a little brother to me, even though he was older in age difference. I didn't care, I liked him the way he was and I loved him as if he really was related to me.

I smiled back at him. "Okay, what story do you want me to tell you today?"

He put his finger up to his chin, tapping it as he pondered with a smile on his face. "Hmm…I wanna hear that story about your grandma; the exciting adventures one!"

My heart jumped at that; my favorite story.

"But Hunny, I've told you that story to you about…eight times already."

He shrugged his shoulders, giggling. "I know, but I really like it, that's all!" Then he looked up at me with his big eyes. "Plus I like it when you tell it because you look so happy!"

My eyes almost started watering at that comment.

Only Hunny could make me feel like a big sister to him.

Then I looked over at Mori. "Mori-Sempai? Do you mind that for today's story?"

He nodded silently.

As I began adjusting myself in my seat, Hunny jumped into my lap like a cat, holding his bunny to his chest. I couldn't help but grin. "You're just so excited aren't you?"

He bopped his head up and down. "Yep! So is Usa-chan!"

I giggled. "Okay then." I glanced up at the ceiling and began to ponder. "Okay…where should I begin?" I asked out loud, trying to see if Hunny would catch on.

"The day of the fair!" he nearly squealed.

"Oh that's right, the day of the big city fair. Well one summer day, the biggest fair in the world came into my town. I was so excited to ride the big rides, see the cute animals at the petting zoo, and eat tons of cotton candy. I was also happy because I was going to go with the best person in the whole wide world, my grandma."

Hunny's smile widened.

"But then…when that day arrived…a big storm came through and it poured down so hard that they closed the fair down and we couldn't go. I so devastated and I cried into my pillow for a long time." I paused. "Then my grandma came into my room with her raincoat and goulashes on. She held up my raincoat and told me to come with her. So I got out of bed and put on my coat and then followed her out into the rain."

"So what did you see on your walk?" Hunny asked.

"Well I-"

"Hey Hunny! Hey Mori!" someone interrupted.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a group of girls behind me, but they weren't just any girls. No, they were the three nastiest girls in the school. Umeko and her followers, Toki and Aiko.

"Hi!" Hunny greeted.

"Are you and Mori gonna join us for cake and tea at our table?" Toki asked.

"Yeah, we've got your favorites all ready for you guys." Aiko added.

"So are you coming over with us?" Umeko asked, obviously ignoring me.

My feelings were slightly hurt, due to the fact that they didn't even notice my existence as well as the invitation to the boys that I was visiting with. I really hated to be ignored by everyone at the school and being treated as the social pariah. There were some days where I wished that I could stand up and tell them off; however, I was too afraid to say anything and I really hated to start a fight.

If Hunny and Mori wanted to spend time with the other customers then I'm not going to stop them…even if my feelings got hurt, I don't want to seem like I'm being selfish.

Hunny smiled at them but shook his head. "Thanks girls, but I think Takashi and I are gonna stay with Reiko for today."

Their faces fell slightly.

"Oh." Sighed Toki.

"Are you sure?" Aiko asked again.

Hunny nodded. "I like being with Reiko."

I lightly smiled at him.

Umeko looked at Mori. "What about you, Mori? Would you like to join us?"

Out of the corner of my eye I could see him shake his head. "No." He replied. "I agree with Mitsukuni; I like being with Reiko too."

My heart skipped a beat. 'Did he really just say that?'

'Yes he said that you idiot! He just skipped out on three snobby girls to be with you!' my inner voice shouted at me.

Umeko slightly glared at me and walked away with her friends. 'Good riddance.' Inner Me sneered.

Hunny tugged at my arm. "Rei-chan?"

I turned my attention back to him. "Yes?"

"Do you like being with me and Takashi?"

I smiled at the both of them as I brushed a dark strand of hair behind my ear. "Of course I like being with you guys. You guys are practically my best friends here at Ouran Academy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hunny hugged me. "Yay!"

Mori smiled over at me, causing my cheeks to warm up.

As Hunny pulled back he looked up at me. "So what did you and your grandma see on your walk?" he repeated his question from earlier, trying to get us back on track with the story.

Rubbing my chin, I began to think back to that day. "Well we jumped into puddles on the sidewalks, we watched cars drive through the water on the streets, and…hmmm…what was that other thing?"

"It's your turn to say what's next, Takashi!" Hunny squealed.

Mori stared at me. "The family of ducks crossing the streets."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's right. There was a mother duck and her five baby ducklings crossing the street. So we stood there in the rain, watching them cross the empty road that led to the pond."

"So what happened after they left?" Hunny asked.

"After they were gone my grandma led me to a small bookstore on the corner. At first I was really mad and I didn't want to go, but then as we went inside I found myself surrounded by books."

"How many books were there?" Hunny asked just like a child would.

I giggled at him. "Oh there were hundreds…no thousands…so many to count. So I asked my grandma what we were doing there and why we were there. And do you know what she said to me?"

Hunny stared at me expectantly. "What?"

"She said, 'Reiko, why go have an adventure outdoors in the rain when you can have a thousand different adventures surrounding you?' So I just went over to the bookshelf and I picked up a book to begin my adventure. As soon as I finished that book I started reading another one and then another one till the day was over. From then on, my grandma took me there every day for a new adventure to begin."

Every day until my life fell apart.

I managed to give Hunny a smile. "The end."

He clapped his hands. "I love that story and so does Usa-chan." Then he looked over at Mori. "What about you, Takashi?"

He looked at me with the same serious expression that he'd been giving me all day. "Yeah, I like it too."

My cheeks flushed again as I brushed my hair over my shoulder with a smile. "T-thanks Mori."

'Quit with the blushing! Just act like a normal person and tell him how you feel!' the inner voice yelled.

'A normal person wouldn't do that! Telling a guy up front that you like him does not always work! Especially when it's Mori!' I snapped back.

"Rei-chan? Are you okay? Your face is red." Hunny asked as he put his hand against my forehead. "You're burning up. Are you feeling sick?"

I shook my head frantically, trying to hide my emotions. "No no! I'm fine!"

'Oh man, I wish something would just save the day right now.'

"HARRRUUUUUHHIIIIIII!" Tamaki shrieked throughout the room.

Everyone turned their attention to Tamaki, who was standing next to a woman holding up a beautiful frilly white dress.

"What is this supposed to be?!" Tamaki shouted.

Haruhi, who was in just as much shock as Tamaki, stared at the dress. "How should I know what that is Sempai?!"

The woman holding the dress smiled at her. "It's your wedding dress. You sent your order two weeks ago."

Haruhi's eyes grew to be about the size of dinner plates. "My wedding dress?! I didn't order that!"

"Why of course you did. You even sent me your wedding invitation." She said as she held up that fake invitation that the twins made.

Tamaki's big violet eyes widened as he looked over at Haruhi. "Haruhi! You said it wasn't true!"

"It's not! I told you about a hundred times, Sempai!"

"A wedding in the Host Club?!" a few girls gasped.

A couple of girls ran up to Haruhi. "Can we be in your wedding?"

Haruhi's held up her hands as she began to panic. "What?! No! No! There's no wedding!"

"Yeah, the hosts could be groomsmen and Hunny could be the ring bear!" a girl shouted.

Hunny smiled. "Yay! And Usa-chan can help too!"

I smiled back at him, imagining him in a tiny tuxedo and Usa-chan would have one too.

'I wonder what Mori would look like in a tux?' I asked myself.

'You're daydreaming again…' my inner voice sang.

Suddenly the floor began to rumble as the all too familiar platform began to rise up; on top of that pedestal stood the club's fangirling manager, dressed in a long pink gown. "A wedding in the Host Club? This is a great day for us. Especially for me!"

Kyoya, who was completely calm in this whole weird situation, looked up from his clipboard. "And why would you say that Rengee?"

She laughed that annoying laugh of hers. "Why as the club manager, I deserve to have one of the best honors in the wedding; to be Haruhi's maid of honor as well as the wedding planner!" she gestured to her hideous pink dress. "I've already chosen the color and style of bridesmaid dresses! Doesn't it look cute?"

Most of the girls in the Host Club nodded their heads.

I, of course, didn't agree. I think purple would be much better; it's my favorite color after all. That's what I'd have at my wedding at least…that is if I get married to anyone.

"No Rengee, there's not wedding!" Haruhi yelled at Rengee.

"Of course there is! I even go an invitation." She said as she held up her invite.

I looked over at the twins to see them smirking back. 'Oh they're sooo clever with this whole scheme.'

Haruhi's expression was priceless. "No! Everyone, there is no wedding! This is a huge misunderstanding."

Hunny jumped up to his feet. "Haru-chan!"

She looked in our direction. "What Hunny?"

"If me and Takashi are in the wedding, can Rei-chan be in it too! Please!" he begged.

"Yeah." Mori agreed.

I stared at the both of them. 'They want me to be in the wedding?'

Rengee smiled. "Of course she can be a bridesmaid in the wedding!"

Suddenly every girl's angry eyes met mine.

'Oh boy this isn't good. Maybe I'd better leave before it gets ugly.'

As I tried to stand to my feet I stumbled and began to fall. Before I hit the floor I felt someone grab me. I looked up as the person leaned me back up to stand me on my feet. Heat flooded my cheeks immediately as I stared into Mori's eyes.

"Be careful." He advised.

"Uh…okay, thank you."

Every customer's gaze was on me.

I absolutely hated it when everyone's attention was on me. It was so uncomfortable. I didn't even talk in class just because I tried to avoid everyone's eye contact.

"Are you okay, Rei-chan?"

I glanced around the room at everyone who still held their stares at me. "Uh yeah…ummm…I think I'm gonna run to the restroom. I'll be back."

Hunny smiled. "Okay! We'll be waiting for you!"

I quickly rushed out of the room and down the hall to the nearest restroom. Running inside the small room, my immediate location was the sink.

I splashed cold water onto my face, hoping to cool down my temperature. Then I looked at myself in the mirror.

'Look at you; red as a tomato and your cheeks feel warmer than the sun. You need to try and get a grip! If you keep acting like this you're gonna lose your chance with Mori!'

I growled under my breath as I stared at myself in the mirror, picturing that it was my inner me. "I'm trying! My emotions always get in the way and that other little voice in the back of my head is always telling me what will happen if he says 'no'."

I could almost see my inner self glare at me. 'So what if he says no? At least you could get it off your chest and you won't be so nervous anymore. Besides, from the way I see it…I think he might even like you back.'

I sighed heavily. "I just don't wanna hear those words."

My inner self sighed too. 'He's nothing like your parents; he's not gonna abandon you like they did. Trust me, he likes you and you know it.'

"Maybe you're right."

A door slammed shut. "Talking to yourself again, Reiko?"

I looked over at the door to see Umeko standing there.

"What do you think you're doing?" she sneered, hands on her hips.

"W-what?"

She stepped menacingly towards me. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, you little freeloading skank."

I stepped back a little. "No…no I don't."

She scoffed. "Ha! And everyone thinks you're soooo smart." She pointed her finger right in my face. "You, little Miss suck-up, are spending way to much time with the kinds of people that you shouldn't be with. Shouldn't you be hanging around with your real friends, you know pieces of paper stuck together in a thing called 'a book'?"

I stared at her, too scared to move or any anything.

She smirked. "Still quiet? Hmm…you always have a lot to say when you're spending time with them."

I had a feeling she was referring to the Host Club.

"Especially Hunny and Mori." Then she casually leaned against one of the sinks. "I know that look you give him. Don't play dumb with me; I know you're in love with Mori."

I tried to avoid contact with her. 'How does she know that?'

"That longing look in your eyes and the way you flush your cheeks when you stutter, they're all the right symptoms to tell if someone is lovesick. Oh and do you have it bad for him; too bad it will never happen."

I winced slightly.

"Oh, have I struck a nerve?"

I said nothing.

She chuckled lightly. "It seems I have. Well that's probably because you know you'll never have a chance with him. Mori is way too good for you and you've finally realized it."

"Don't listen to her; you know she's trying to do to you. Just ignore her." Inner Me assured me.

She leaned in closer towards my face. "So why don't you just back off and face the facts that you don't belong here. You don't belong with the Host Club, you don't deserve to go to this school, and you certainly don't fit in anywhere. So why don't you do the world a favor and just drop out or I'll do it myself."

'For Pete's sake! Tell her off! She can't do anything to you!'

I found the strength to glare at her. "You can't tell me what I can and can not do!"

She stared at me shockingly. "Excuse me?"

I took a shaky breath before I continued. "Yeah, you heard me. You can't tell me that I can't hang out with certain people and you can't order me around like this, Umeko. So back off!" I shouted as I shoved past her and ran out of the restroom to get away from her.

Once I made it outside and a few feet away from the restroom, I felt a hand clasp onto my wrist, yanking me back to Umeko, who stared at me as if I had a death wish. "All right, I'm done being nice!"

'Nice?! She was being nice?!'

"You listen and you listen good you little freak!" she threatened. "Mori will never be with someone like you. You're weird and nobody likes you; not even your own parents like you."

I stared back at her, trying to not cry as they threatened to spill at that comment.

"That's right, everyone knows about what your parents think of you. We all know that they hate you and disowned you. It was just a fluke that you got into this school." She scanned me from head to toe. "Why would Mori want someone from a broken home life?"

'She's just jealous! Tell her that!'

I gulped as I took a deep breath. "You're just jealous because he and Hunny spend more time with me instead of you."

Her grip loosened just for a second just before she tightened it again. "No! I'm not jealous!"

'She's lying! Catch her in denial!'

"Yeah…yeah you are. You're made because Mori doesn't want to sit with you and you hate it that I'm friends with the guy you want, but can't have. You are jealous!"

'Atta girl! Tell her who's boss!'

Umeko narrowed her eyes at me as she yanked me closer to her. "If we weren't at school right now I'd finish you off right now." She held up a finger in my face. "Listen up, I'll make a little deal with you; I won't beat you up and embarrass you in front of the entire school if you promise to stay away from Mori."

I stared back at her, shaking slightly with fear.

'She can't control you. Tell her that!'

"Y-you can't control me."

She smirked. "Oh can't I? If you remember correctly my family could deport you if I said anything. And if I said anything to the school about you threatening me, they would all turn against you and kick you out of this school. You wouldn't want that now would you?"

I didn't reply.

She laughed. "That's what I thought." Then she let go of my sore wrist. "Well I'd better get back to the Host Club before the day is over." She said as she turned around and headed back towards the music room. Before she disappeared around the corner she turned back to me. "And remember what I said, if I see you anywhere near Mori, your life will be over." With that last threat she was gone.

A lump raised up in my throat and tears began to slide down my cheeks as I held my injured wrist towards my body.

I can't be friends with the Host Club anymore and I can't go near Mori ever again…or Umeko will ruin my life even more than it already is. What do I do now?

* * *

 **Yikes...I honestly hated writing Umeko at times, but what's a story without a little conflict? I absolutely loved writing the twins pranks and Rengee's entrance! lol I hope I didn't make the characters sound too out of character, especially Mori or Hunny. As I said before, I wrote this a long time ago. I'll try to have chapter two out soon. It might be awhile because I'm working on my other three stories, but I'll try my best to get part two done.**

 **Please let me know what you think of this story! I always respond to reviews and messages! I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone. I'm so sorry for the long wait for the final chapter of this story. Truth be told, I had most of this written all those years ago, but the problem was, I had no idea how I was going to end this story. So...basically I've had writer's block for about...ehhh...5-6 years. lol I'm sorry, but I finally came up with an ending! I really hope that you all enjoy this final chapter! This was a blast to write and slightly difficult to write the mean girl parts. Had to tap into my inner mean girl, which...not that fun at time since I've met lots of girls like Umeko.**

 **Anyways, away from the sad, I'm so happy to see that some of you reviewed, put me on alerts and favorited me! You guys made me really excited to hear that you liked this story! I was nervous about keeping everyone in character and I wasn't going too OCC in this. Please let me know what you think of the last chapter! I want to know if I did this right and if the ending was good. You can always leave a review or even PM me. I always try to reply! This is bittersweet to end this story, but I'm so happy that I was able to accomplish writing for one of my favorite animes growing up. If you ever want to read more of my work, I have other stories out there to read! Including a Doctor Who one on the way! Thanks everyone! ^_^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High school Host Club. I only own Reiko and a few other characters that I made up that aren't part of the story line.**

 **NOTE: Inner Me will be italicized to make it easier to read lol**

* * *

 **Review Responses- Thank you to those who reviewed this story! You guys made me so happy to hear what you thought! Just thought I should reply to your reviews like I do with all of my stories. You guys are amazing! ^_^**

 _Kaylen:_ Ugh...tell me about it. Hate them too. Awww I'm sure you could do a great job! :) Thank you soooo much! And yes, I love Ouran as well!

 _TheDoctorsMate200:_ Well here's your chance :)

 _Amarenima Redwood:_ Thank you sweetie! Now you get to find out! :)

 _purplefeather9:_ Thank you sweetie! I'm glad you like it! :)

* * *

Finding the muscles in my legs I began to slowly drag myself back towards the music room to collect my things. I couldn't believe that I have to give up the Host Club and leave because I was being blackmailed by the worst person in the whole Academy. And...give up Mori.

As I turned the corner down the hall I almost ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Hara." Kyoya apologized to me.

I looked up at him, trying to wipe my tears away. "Oh it…it's okay, Kyoya-sempai."

Narrowing his eyes, he tilted his head to the side slightly. "Are you okay, Miss Hara?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just…I think I'm gonna go home, I'm not feeling very well right now."

He stared at me. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, trying to calm myself down. "Yeah, I-I'll see you tomorrow." I said, walking past him as fast as I could.

When I reached the music room, I stood outside the door, taking deep breaths as I prepared myself to go inside and face everyone. 'You can do this; just run in, grab your books, and then rush out before anything happens.'

 _'You don't have to listen to that snot! She can't do this to you! You should tell someone that she's threatening you. Maybe she would get kicked out instead of you.'_

I mentally sighed. 'I want to…but I…I can't. I know how these situations work; I'd sing like a canary and she'd deny it and find some way to turn everyone against me. I think it would be best if I just stay away from them for awhile…just wait until this drama fades off. I just don't want to risk it.'

 _'I still say that you should do something.'_ Inner Me insisted.

'I…just wanna wait. Right now I just want to get out of here as fast as I can.'

 _'Be careful; don't show anyone that you're weak, especially not Umeko.'_

I was pretty sure that it was going to be hard to just walk into the room with a poker face after being threatened out in the hallway.

I took a deep breath and walked into the room.

A few girls glanced over at me, but most of them kept their focus on their Hosts or their tea and cakes.

As I walked through the room to my seat I could feel my heart pounding through my chest. 'Please don't panic; keep it together. Don't pay attention to anyone, just focus on grabbing your books and getting out before anything goes wrong.'

 _'You'll be fine. Calm down!'_ Inner Me shouted.

"Haruhi! You can't be serious!" Tamaki whined. "I can't believe that you would marry…those idiots!"

I guess they were still arguing over the 'wedding' still.

"For the last time Sempai, there is no wedding!" Haruhi growled at her superior.

He moaned as he went into fetal position in that lonely dark corner of his.

Oh no…here we go again.

"It can't be true…it just can't. Why would those two take away her like that? I'm the only one who tells her she can and cannot marry." He whimpered loudly.

The twins were sitting on their couch with satisfied expressions as they watched their plan unfold.

Well at least they're happy.

As I was nearing my seat I was beginning to breath heavily. 'What am I going to say to Hunny? To Mori? Oh man, what am I gonna do?'

When I reached my seat Hunny looked up at me with a smile. "There you are Rei-chan!"

I tried to smile back. "Hey Hunny."

"Are you gonna tell us another story? We've been waiting for you."

I noticed that Mori was no longer in his chair. 'Maybe I won't have to see him when I leave.' I mean I would love to see him, it's just that it might be too painful to see him when I leave. Not to mention, I don't want Umeko to see me talking to him.

I took a shaky breath before replying, "Um…I…I can't, Hunny. I-I'm not feeling very well and I think I'm gonna go home." I explained, trying not to cry.

He frowned, tilting his cute little face to the side. "Are you okay?"

I tried looking down at my shoes. "N-not really. I think I'm coming down with something. I'm sorry if we can't read another story today."

"Oh…it's okay. I hope you feel much better. Maybe we can read another one tomorrow."

I could feel the tears beginning to form in my eyes. "Y-yeah…maybe. C-can you hand me my books please?"

I could hear Hunny shift around then he held them out for me to take. "Here you go, Rei-chan."

Taking them in my hands I turned around, trying to avoid Hunny's eye contact. "S-see ya."

As I was about to turn around I bumped into someone. Lifting my head up, I saw Mori standing in front of me. "I-I'm sorry, Mori-Sempai."

He just smiled. "Aren't you going to stay?"

"Well…I…" Out of the corner of my eye I could see Umeko smirking at me.

The tears in my eyes began to slide down my cheeks. "I…I can't Mori-Sempai. I…I have to go." I said as I tried to walk around him.

I felt a hand grab my shoulder and turn me around to look at him, disappointment was written across his face. "Is something wrong?"

I could feel everyone's eyes on me in the room.

"I-I have to go." I sniffled as I shrugged off his hand and practically ran out the door, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Finally that freak left." I heard Umeko mummer as I ran past her.

That one girl managed to take away everything that I have left in my life; Umeko won and I lost.

The very thought had me practically sprinting down the halls, my tears burning everything around me as I ran from the room.

When I made it halfway down the hall I let the tears fall as I began to cry. I tried to keep my sobbing quiet, but at this point I couldn't do it.

* * *

Since I didn't have the luxury of riding in a limo like most people did, I had to walk home all by myself. And to make things worse, it was raining. Just great.

After some time had passed, I finally stopped crying, but time didn't help my heart heal from the pain I experienced awhile ago. So here I am now, dragging my feet through muddy puddles and hanging my head as I walked away from the best thing that ever happened to me. I still can't believe that I'm not going to see the Host Club ever again.

What were they gonna think when they don't see me coming around anymore? What will Hunny think? And…Mori? Will they be sad? Will they try to find out why? Or…will they forget me?

I can still picture that look in Hunny's eyes when I told him I had to leave; oh he looked so upset. He was like my little brother and I was like his sister. What will happen to him now?

And that disappointed look in Mori's eyes. I've never seen him give me that expression before. I wonder what was going though his head when I told him I was leaving. I wish I could turn around and go back to tell him what was really wrong, but if I did that…I would probably be banned from ever attending Ouran Acadamy ever again. I'd rather watch Mori from afar then never see those deep dark eyes of his again.

As I kicked a puddle on the sidewalk, I began to think back to what Umeko had said to me. How could she possibly know what my parents think? Then again, when you're from a rich family, your life is always part of the gossips that you would hear around the social circle. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire school knew.

My parents and I didn't really see eye to eye and truly never understood me. When I was born, my parents didn't really have that 'excited to be parents' look. Instead, it was more of a 'oh no, we have a kid to take care of now' feeling. I was an unplanned birth and when word got out about me, my parents didn't want to tarnish their reputation by giving me up for adoption. They kept and raised me, but they treated me just like one of the servants in our house.

The only person who treated me like one of the family was my grandmother. Just like the story I had told Hunny, my grandmother would take me to the bookstore and she would always buy me books. That's how I got that nickname, the 'Violet Bookworm'. Also I had natural violet colored eyes; it wasn't normal but I didn't care because it was who I was.

My parents only stuck by my grandmother's side because she had a huge fortune and my parents couldn't wait until she died last year. I was heartbroken of course, but I don't think my parents could have cared less. However, at her funeral when they were reading off her will, something happened; my parents weren't even listed in her will. They were stunned and asked who got all of her money. To their surprise, her entire fortune went to me.

Naturally they were furious and tried to take it from me, but since I was eighteen I could make my own decisions and I decided to leave the house. I bought a small apartment in Haruhi's neighborhood because I could care less if I lived in a big mansion or not; I liked living in that little building of mine.

Unfortunately, since I didn't have any transportation I always had to walk home. I mean I liked getting the exercise and fresh air; it's just that when it rained I would get really sick sometimes from being soaked. Also I had that fear of running into a gang or something. It's always that fear of being defenseless when you're being attacked that freaks me out. Well who wouldn't be scared of that?

'Please don't let them find me. Please! Don't let there be someone hiding out in the dark. I don't want this tonight.'

But as cruel as fate is to me at this moment, I walked right past a group of scary looking guys. 'Why me? Why must the world hate me sooooo much? Just leave me alone.'

I kept my head down as I tried to walk past them as fast as I could.

"Hey baby, where're you going?"

I squeezed my eyes shut as I continued to walk away from them.

"What's the matter, Girlie?" another one shouted at me.

Faintly I could hear their footsteps following behind me.

"Aww come on baby, don't run. We just wanna talk."

Suddenly I felt someone grab onto my backpack and turn me around abruptly.

I came face to face with four really intimidating older guys.

"Wow." One of them awed. "You're even prettier from the front."

I could smell alcohol on his breath.

 _'Get away from them!'_ Inner Me shouted.

I tried to pull away from them, but then I felt the one holding onto my bag grab my arm.

"Aww what's wrong?"

"I think she's scared of you, Souta." One of his friends snickered.

Souta glared at his friend. "Shut up! She's not afraid of me." Then he looked back at me. "Are you, baby?"

I tried to tug my arm back. "Leave me alone!"

Souta looked at his friends with a smirk. "So she speaks."

One of his other friends smirked. "Feisty one too; just my type."

"Let me go!" I yelled at Souta as I punched him in the face with all my might.

He recoiled in pain as he let go of me, stumbling backwards.

As soon as my arm was free I started running away from them as fast as I could.

Suddenly I felt someone grab a hold of me again and threw me up against a brick wall of an old dirty alley. I cringed in pain as I felt my head crack against the wall, causing me to practically see stars. "Ow." I whimpered in pain.

As I slowly opened my eyes I could see four blurry figures standing in front of me.

"That was a pretty dumb mistake you just made, baby."

When my vision finally came into focus I could see Souta standing in front of me, showing off a bloody cut that now graced across his cheek. He motioned to his friends.

I felt two of them grab onto my arms, holding me up against the wall with no meanings of escape.

"So you wanna play rough now, do ya? Well what a coincidence, so do we. Right boys?"

The other members in his gang chuckled wickedly.

"N-no…please…stop." I whispered, trying to move my sore body, but I could barely even think straight since my head was still pounding.

Souta's smirk grew. "Sorry baby, but you had your chance for us to play nice and you blew it when you punched me. Now we gotta teach you a lesson about using 'proper' manners with us."

I drew in a shaky breath as I closed my eyes, letting tears run down my cheeks.

So this is how I'm gonna go out. Getting my life ruined by the one nasty girl who could do anything she wanted to me, never telling the Host Club good-bye and why I had to leave, and most importantly…never getting to tell Mori how I feel. All because I was going to be beaten up and probably something much worse by a couple of drunken idiots. Why must my life end like this?

 _'Well it's been a pleasure getting to help you out and talking to you.'_ Inner me told me. _'Wish it didn't have to end like this.'_

I mentally sighed. 'Yeah, me too. Thanks for trying to help me all these years.'

 _'No prob.'_

Souta laughed. "Ready for a couple of real—hey back off dude, we're busy!" I could hear Souta yell.

I cracked open an eye to see a taller figure standing behind Souta.

"She's ours so go away man; go find your own." Souta told the figure.

Suddenly the figure grabbed a hold of Souta's shoulder and punched him square in the face, sending him to the ground.

As soon as Souta hit the ground his friends let go of me so they could attack the guy who knocked out their leader.

My legs buckled underneath me, causing me to fall to my knees. I watched in awe as that mysterious figure beat the crap out of them. Whoever this guy was, he was strong. But why is he doing this? Is this random guy trying to save me? Or is he just trying to get rid of these guys to keep me for himself?

After he finished my strange savior came towards me quietly. A small trickle of fear nudged the edge of my conscious as he crouched down in from of me, his face hidden in the shadows.

As he reaches out to me, I flinch back, shutting my eyes tightly. 'Oh no, don't let him be another one.' I prayed to myself.

"Reiko."

My heart skipped a beat when I heard that familiar lower monotone voice. 'No, it can't be.'

I cracked open an eye to see if my prediction was true and I found myself staring into those deep dark eyes that I fell in love with. "M-Mori-Sempai?"

He stared at me as he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Are you okay?"

Despite everything that occurred today, I launched myself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. All I wanted at this moment was to be held and safe with somebody I could trust; Mori was the right person for the job.

Wordlessly, Mori picked me up and held me bridal style in his arms. Then he began to walk through the rain as if it didn't bother him. I hid my face in his shoulder as I continued to cry.

I can't believe that Mori just saved my life. How did he know where I was? If I was not mistaken, I heard that Mori lives on the complete opposite part of town. Why is he here?

Mori carried me around for awhile until he stopped suddenly. "Where's your key?"

Lifting my head up from his shoulder, I tried to look at him. "What?"

"Your house key." He repeated.

I looked around at the building in front of us and realized that we were at my apartment. My apartment?!

I pulled the key out of my pocket and handed it to him as my brain was freaking out, wondering how he knew where I lived.

He unlocked the door and walked inside, shutting the door behind him.

A cold chill went up my spine as we entered the freezing cold room. I shouldn't have left the air on before I left.

Mori walked over to the couch and set me down. His big but gentle hands touched my face and arms, looking me over. "Are you hurt?"

I unconsciously rubbed the back of my head, which was still sore from hitting it on the wall. "My head hurts a little. I um…I have an icepack in the freezer."

He went into the kitchen and within seconds, he returned with a small ice pack. He held it out to me for to take, not saying anything.

I took it from him and held it up to my head. "Thanks." I winced as the cold touched the sore spot on my head. 'Geez, that hurts.'

Mori sat down next to me, not really saying anything. He just stared back. It felt strange. Especially since I was never alone with him. Hunny was always with him, but he wasn't here now. What could I say?

I shouldn't even be doing this right now, sitting with him. Mori isn't supposed to be near me at all. Why am I not telling him to go? If Umeko finds out that Mori is here, especially at my house, she'll never get rid of me probably before tomorrow.

But at the back of my head, right behind the bump, I could hear my inner me yelling at me to stop thinking that way. _'Don't let him go! This might be your last chance to talk to him and both of us are dying to know why he was there at the right moment and saved your butt! Ask him!'_

I could feel my cheeks warming up as I tried to find the voice to talk. "M-Mori-sempai, h-how did you know I was in trouble?"

He didn't answer me.

 _'Of course, we're talking to the silent gentle giant.'_ Inner me mumbled. _'Don't give up! Get an answer from him!'_

"I…I mean, how could you know? You don't live in my neighborhood at all. In fact, you live on the opposite side of town."

He looked away from me and stared at the floor.

Hesitantly, I gently touched his shoulder. "M-Mori-sempai?"

He looked out of the corner of his eye. "I followed you home."

My heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"I saw you crying. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You did?"

He nodded in response.

"Oh…thank you." I mumbled, a small smile creeping onto my lips.

 _'Well isn't he sweet.'_ Inner me commented.

"Why were you crying?" he asked, finally meeting my eyes.

I looked away, tears gathering in my eyes. "I…it was nothing. I just didn't feel good and I needed to get out of there before I…"

I felt his fingers under my chin as he turned my head back towards him. "That's not true, Reiko."

I shut my eyes as I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. "I-I can't tell you."

"Yes, you can. We know it was Umeko."

My eyes shot open as I stared at him in surprise. "What?"

Mori pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number before holding it up to his ear. "Yeah, I'm with Reiko." Then he held the phone out to me.

Hesitantly, I took it from him and held it up to my ear. "H-hello?"

"Hello Miss Hara."

Kyoya.

"Um…hey, Kyoya-sempai. What's up?"

"You don't need to worry about Umeko threatening you anymore. She has been reported to the school."

My heart jumped "Wh-what? Could you repeat that?"

 _'Smart boy says what?!'_ Inner Me gasped in shock.

"Umeko has been suspended for threatening you and she is no longer a customer at the Host Club."

"But…how…you…" I mumbled in shock.

"I overheard your conversation out in the hallway this afternoon and heard Umeko threaten you. So I confiscated the Academy cameras and showed the video to the Headmaster. She was suspended for a couple of weeks and she has been officially banned from the Host Club. Any other members that were involved with the harassment have been warned and I can safely say that there will be no more harassment."

Everything seemed to be going by so fast. "Are…are you serious?"

There was a pause. "Yes, I believe I am."

I could feel my eyes water. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Just think of this as a favor from the Host Club. I don't think the hosts could go on without you being there every day."

I sniffled. "Thank you, Kyoya-sempai."

"You're welcome, Miss Hara. Have a nice evening."

The line went dead.

As I lowered the phone, I tried to process everything that was happening all at once. Tears began to roll down my cheeks, but this time it wasn't because I was sad. I was completely overwhelmed for the fact that the Host Club did that for me.

They actually cared about me enough to try and report Umeko for threatening to get rid of me, and it actually worked. I wouldn't have to stop coming to the Host Club and I don't have to be possibly expelled from Ouran Academy. And most importantly…I stole a glance at Mori, who was smiling softly down at me. I don't have to avoid speaking to Mori anymore.

But what happens now?

Mori is sitting with me on my couch in my apartment!

 _'Well…say something! You've got Mori in your house, the Host Club got rid of Umeko, and Mori saved your life from a bunch of drunken idiots! For the love of this guy…say something to him!'_ Inner Me shouted inside of my head.

'Like what?!' I shouted back.

 _'Tell him about how Umeko threatened you.'_

'He already knows about that.'

There was a pause.

 _'You know what I mean.'_

'What?! No! I'm not ready for this!'

 _'Yes you are. Just tell him already. Tell him that you like him.'_

'No! I can't do it! He's not going to-'

"Reiko."

I mentally shook myself out of the argument with 'Inner Me' and looked up at Mori, who was now looking at me with the all too familiar serious stare.

"Wh-what?"

"Are you okay?"

My breath was caught in my throat. "I…I…" My throat dried up, my heart was pounding so loud that I could feel it in my ears, and my hands were trembling.

Suddenly without thinking, I shot up from the couch. "I-I can't do this!"

Next thing I knew, I was rushing out of my house and into the pouring down rain. I ran through the streets, dodging a few cars as I tried to find my way through the dark.

 _'Get back there right now! Do you hear me?!'_ Inner Me shouted, pointing towards my small apartment.

"I cant!" I cried out to her. "I can't do this! Mori deserves more than me!"

 _'No he doesn't! He deserves to have you! You're just too chicken to try and tell him!'_

I gasped when a car nearly missed me. "I just...I can't do it!"

 _'You're going to get yourself killed out here!'_ Inner Me screamed as a pair of headlights came into view.

My legs couldn't move and my heart plummeted when I realized that this would be the end.

Suddenly, I felt myself being swept literally off my feet and soared through the air, the sound of the car horn blaring in my ears. Something warm pressed to my face when I felt my feet hit the ground once again. A puff of air left my lungs when I realized that I was no longer in the street, but on the sidewalk nearby.

"Reiko." Mori's voice spoke softly from above.

My head lifted from his broad chest to meet his dark eyes that shone through the night. "M-Mori?"

Slowly he stood up straight from his crouched position. My legs shook beneath me and threatened to buckle, but Mori made sure to keep me from falling.

His hand gently brushed my soaking wet hair away from my face as he gazed down into my eyes.

"M-Mori...I...I'm sorry...I just..."

Before I could utter another word, Mori's mouth found mine, pressing his lips against mine gently.

Everything froze around us, including my heart for a moment, as he kissed me in the pouring down rain. The only thing that I could feel was his warm lips upon my own. It was as if the rain had stopped for a moment so that every single raindrop around us could watch this very shocking moment.

When his lips parted from my own, it seemed that everything returned to normal, even my own heart beginning to pound inside of my chest.

 _'Did...did he just kiss us?'_ Inner Me said, her own voice sounding breathless. _'In the rain? Because...that's awfully cliche...'_

Mori just smiled softly, rubbing my cheek. "I like you too, Reiko."

As soon as those words were spoken, I felt the weight on my shoulders drop. Did he just say he liked me? Did Takashi Morinozuka just admit that he liked me?! And...did he say 'too'?! Does that mean that he knew?

"I...I...you..." I began, trying to find the words to say.

He nodded once before pecking me on the forehead. "I know." he mumbled against my damp skin.

My eyes closed at the feeling and my heart rose inside of my chest. It was as if it was on a cloud.

Mori pulled me into a hug, letting his soaking wet clothes press against my face. I didn't care if it was cold or not, I couldn't stop myself from smiling at the gesture and wrapping my arms around his torso. Neither of us moved as we stood in the rain together, letting the cold and fat raindrops fall on us.

 _'Huh, looks like you really lucked out in this. Umeko was suspended and banned from the club, Mori saved your life not once, but twice, and now...he kissed you and admitted that he likes you. I call that a happy ending, huh? Hey, maybe you should kiss him this time. I want another one.'_ Inner Me said with a smirk.

Listening to her, I reached up to gently grab Mori's face and tugged it down so our lips could meet once again. Mori smiled against mine and kissed me back.

 _'That's my girl.'_

* * *

 **Well what do you think? Cute? Sweet? A train wreck? lol Hopefully not the last one.**

 **Anyways, that's the end of this story! I hope that you all enjoyed this short journey with me! I had a lot of fun writing this and I'm still shocked that it took me this long to write this story and post it! But I don't regret a thing! Let me know what you think of this story and I hope to see some of you reading my other work in the future! Thank you everyone! ^_^**


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